Duty
by Jenova
Summary: After centuries, the descendants of the Sashimoto family are summoned to fulfill their promise to the Sohma family. A story of bonds, destiny, and relationships.
1. Chapter 1

The streetlights illuminated the light drizzle coming down on the city sidewalk, making everything shine slick as cars passed by. Tatsuya pulled his coat jacket snug and continued walking at an even pace up the street towards an apartment building in the midst of all the hustle and bustle. He punched the keypad next to the door, and after a few rings someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"That was fast. Come on up."

The other end of the line hung up and Tatsuya heard the latch on the door click open. The building wasn't much to look at on the outside, and the inside wasn't exactly pristine either. The wallpaper was peeling and the carpet was dirty from years of being trod on by everything from tenants to pizza boys. Tatsuya noticed he'd left his own track of wet footprints, but figured it wouldn't make a difference anyways. He got to the elevator and pushed the button to go up. After a few seconds, he pushed it again with no effect.

"Figures."

The light at the end of the hall started flickering on and off. He sighed and made his way in that direction towards the stairwell. Five flights later he was staring at unit 505.

Tatsuya knocked at the door.

He heard some heavy footsteps from the other side, and briefly felt a little bad for whoever the sorry people in 405 were. Someone started fiddling with the locks and the door opened. He was greeted with a wide smile and arms set for a hug.

"Hey!"

Tatsuya shot his distantly related cousin a look of disgust and stood still. Kaidan dropped his arms and chuckled. "Well, I guess that's pretty much what I expected. Come on in, come on in. Mi casa es su casa, as they say."

Tatsuya entered the small one bedroom apartment and took a seat on the couch. Although Kaidan was living in a pretty crappy apartment building, the apartment itself was furnished rather nicely. It was a one bedroom, but there was a study off of the main living area and the kitchen was spotless. Tatsuya had a sneaking suspicion it was because it never got used.

"Why the hell do you live in this shitty building? I know you can afford better."

"There is nothing wrong with living below your means. I just like being able to spend my money on other things! Is that so wrong?"

"Hmph. Whatever."

Kaidan went into the study and brought out an ashtray for his cousin. Tatsuya waved it off.

"Thanks, but I quit."

"Oh? Well, I certainly am glad to hear it. You know I only kept these around for you. Glad I can be rid of them, they've just been collecting dust lately. So, what brings you to my home? It's been awhile hasn't it? Here I thought we'd sit down, have a chat and catch up... but I'm guessing you're not here just for conversation."

"You know why I'm here." Tatsuya was not in the mood for games.

"I have no idea what you're talking about", Kaidan offered, with that all too knowing grin on his face. Kaidan was always in the mood for games.

"The pull. I know you feel it. It's starting to keep me up at night. Something is happening to the curse."

"Ah, that fuckin' thing. Do we really want to talk about that? I like to just pretend it's nothing to do with us."

"We can't ignore it forever."

"We've done a damn good job of ignoring it so far."

"It's getting stronger."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

There was a long silence. Neither man wanted to look at the other. They were each lost in their own thoughts, worries, and fears.

"We should find the others before this all goes to hell" Tatsuya finally said.

"I guess. Where should we start?"

"Well, everyone is pretty spread out. I guess it would be easiest to find the ones who are aware, and work our way to the younger members. Having the other adults with us might make the whole thing a little more... believable."

Kaidan knew this meant he'd have to make some phone calls. Phone calls he was not looking forward to making at all.

"Alright. I'll start talking to family. Though it pains me to even think about asking them for anything, even something as simple as where a relative lives."

Tatsuya didn't envy him in the slightest. He was familiar with Kaidan's family, as he spent a lot of time at his cousin's house growing up.

"Ok. I'll look up what I can on the nature of what we're feelling. Maybe shed some light on what we can expect. Or at least, some idea of why we're feeling it."

"You do that."

Tatsuya got up and started heading towards the door. Kaidan expected this, as his cousin was always the kind of guy who gets straight to the point.

"Do you really think we'll be summoned?" Kaidan asked.

"I honestly have no idea." Tatsuya replied.

Neither would get very much sleep tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Akito spent the morning listening to the Sohma family's primary accountant while he reported the numbers for the last quarter. Her mind was just beginning to wander when her senior housemaid, Chie Sashimoto, brought her a tray of tea. "_It's way too early to be listening to this man drone on and on about numbers_", Akito thought to herself. Chie poured tea for the accountant and Shigure. Shigure, seated next to Akito, would pour it for Akito.

After what seemed like days, Akito had had enough.

"Just tell me where to sign and if we're running out of money." Akito snapped.

The accountant stopped mid-sentence.

"No, the family is doing very well overall. Would you please sign here."

He pointed to a line on the 51st page of his report. She initialed it and waved him out of the room after requesting he leave a copy of the report with her for review on her own time. With her health recently improving, she was beginning to take on the full responsibilites of being head of the family. Shigure sat beside her.

"What? You're telling me that Mr. Whatever-his-name's report wasn't going to be the highlight of the day? Because I felt it was a rather exciting hour and a half."

"You hush. I saw you nodding off not even 15 minutes in. You're going to have to sit in on these too, you know, so get used to it."

Shigure whined.

Some things had changed in the Sohma family estate. Some things, but not all. While the family no longer suffered from the curse that held them for most of their lives, some of the effects still lingered. They would no longer turn into their zodiac animals when hugged by a member of the opposite sex, and their lives had changed drastically once Akito had attempted to free them from the bonds holding them all tightly. Their relationships changed, and they were still close to eachother, even if not on the best of terms.

To be with others, to share something with others for so long and then simply have it vanish... the forced connections among them disappeared, but the emotional attachments to each other (for better or worse) remained. While a mere shadow of their former bond, they just couldn't seem to leave each other.

Chie, the house servant, entered the room again to remove the used cups. She handed over Akito and Shigure's schedule for the day. Her family, the Sashimotos, had served the Sohma family for as long as they could remember. While they were not seen as or treated as servants, the two families' relationship was difficult to explain to outsiders. To the Sashimoto, serving the Sohma family was a great honor. While doing menial jobs and labor, like groundskeeping or working in the kitchens, they also reaped the benefits of being closely associated with the Sohma. Their families were raised in and around Sohma property, and supported by the Sohma family. Not all the members of the Sashimoto family felt the same about the Sohma, and many of the younger family members set off to live their own lives away house of Sohma.

Chie finished cleaning up after the accountant's visit, and a young member of the Sashimoto family requested permission to enter the room to deliver the mail. Chie waved her young grand-nephew in and took the mail from him. She sorted out what needed to go where, and then paused as she saw a letter addressed to Akito. The letter was from Toronto, Ontario. Canada. It was from someone by the name of Thomas Sashimoto. After a moment of taking in the person's surname, she passed the letter to Akito. Akito rarely received mail directly addressed to her, and that made the situation all that much more extraordinary. Knowing it was not her place to pry, Chie left the room. Why would a Sashimoto not in service to the Sohma be trying to contact the head of the family?


	3. Chapter 3

Akito waited for Chie to leave the room and eyed the envelope warily. With a glance at Shigure, she opened it and began reading.

_Greetings._

_I am Thomas Sashimoto and I am writing to you in hopes that you are well. My great-grandfather, Endou Sashimoto, is 102 years old and is on his deathbed. He has lived a long and meaningful life. He has seen wars come to pass, family members die of age, and great great grandchildren learn their first words. He is now very close to the end of his life and he has asked me to write this letter on his behalf. I promised that I would do this, though I'm not certain why. It may simply be out of delirium, but I agreed to do it and so I have. I hope the words contained within are meaningful to you._

_When I was a young boy, he would often tell me elaborate stories. One, in particular was a favorite of mine and he would tell it to me often. My great grandfather was very keen on tradition and, though he had not lived in Japan for several years, was proud of his family's Japanese ancestry. It is this story, and its effect on me and my family that he wanted me to put in writing. Again, I'm not certain why, but these were his instructions._

_The story begins much the same as the modern day Japanese Zodiac folktale, it talks of 'God' and the animals of the zodiac, the race, and the banquet. To make it more interesting for us youngsters, he added a twist to the story. He would tell us of an ancient family that was marked by the zodiac, and some members of this family could change into the animals of the zodiac._

_As a youngster, I often laughed with delight with my siblings at this idea. How wonderful it would be to transform into an animal and run wild at night without a care in the world! We would play in the yard and pretend we were the zodiac animals, and my great grandfather would watch us bring his story to life._

_As we got older, he would add more to the story. First this original zodiac folktale, then the family. Several years later, when I was about 9 or 10, he added a new chapter to the story..._

The zodiac family, had become very influential as time had passed, and had amassed a great deal of wealth. They held property, large estates, storefronts and were extremely socially adept. A young male member of the family, who so happened to be the Rat of the zodiac, had befriended another boy in the town in which they lived. The boy was the son of a local grocer whose building was owned by the zodiac family. The Rat would often pass by the grocer's storefront on his way home from school, and would sneak off with the shopkeeper's son for hours to play. The years passed and the boys continued their friendship, much to the disapproval of the Rat's family. As an adult, being the Rat commanded a certain respect within the family, and he gave his life long friend the opportunity to move the grocery (passed down to his friend by his father) inside the walls of the estate. Knowing that having the exclusive business of the most influential family in the city meant that his family would never want or need again, the decision to move was an easy one. As the years passed, more descendants of the grocer's family began serving the zodiac family in various ways. From gardeners to maids, babysitters to teachers, to cooks and household servants, the families became intertwined.

Many years would pass, and the Rat and the grocer's boy had reached the age where men spend much of their time reflecting back on their lives. Finally, on a cold spring morning, the Rat confided his family's secret to the grocer's boy. The boy, now an aged old man, knew better than to question the truthfulness of his friend's declaration. He believed every word the Rat told him, knowing that at their age there was no time left for tall tales and stories. He knew something was different about the family, he'd always known there was something. Know he knew what. Only a few weeks would pass before the Rat finally reached the end of his life. On his deathbed, he called for his friend. The success of their friendship meant the success of both families for generations to come, the Rat knew this, as did his friend. Because of this, the Rat felt compelled to bind the families together using the same supernatural force that bound the zodiac to 'God'. The grocer's boy accepted this idea, and declared an oath that his family would ensure the safety, protection, and stability of the cursed family for generations to come in return for the same.

At these words, an ice cold feeling washed over the grocer. He looked into the dying man's eyes and realized the true depth of the oath. He could suddenly feel the physical pain the Rat was feeling. The Rat could sense the sudden spike of alarm coming from his friend through the bond. They were intertwined mentally, physically and emotionally. The toll of the bond proved too much for the Rat, and he passed shortly after.

Overwhelmed by his friend's death, the grocer grieved. The bond magnified the pain of loss. The death of the the Rat passed nearly unnoticed by most of the residents of the estate. In such a large family, with so many comings and goings and day to day business, who would have time to grieve for just another old man? The Grocer bore the brunt of the grief on his own. His wife had died over 10 years prior, and his children grown with families of their own. While they knew they owed so much to friendship of these two men, they could never understand the true depth of it. Within days the Grocer was hospitalized and, soon after, followed his lifelong friend into the afterlife. The doctors would never be able to explain exactly why he passed away. They told the family that it was as if "he just withered away."

_My great grandfather said the story was over, and he had nothing else to tell. He told me to continue it on my own when I had children, and so I have._

_I don't know why he wanted me to write this, I don't know what significance it has. I didn't even know he still spoke to anyone in Japan. Obviously I know we have distant relatives there, but I've never visited myself._

_Well there it is. Thank you for taking the time to read it._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Thomas Sashimoto._

"Shigure. Come read this."


	4. Chapter 4

Shigure read over the letter quickly and handed it back to Akito. She glanced at it again and then folded the papers, sliding them neatly back into the envelope they arrived in.

Shigure promptly took the envelope from her hands and flipped it over.

"_Thomas Sashimoto_, huh? It has a Canadian post office box as a return address. Whoever sent it probably doesn't want us to know where they live. What do you make of the story though? Did your fa- I mean, did anyone mention this to you before?"

"No, it really doesn't sound familiar at all. Now with the curse gone... Well, to be honest I don't know what to make of it. In all the years we've been cursed, we've never felt a connection to an outsider. As head of the family, it really doesn't make sense for me never to have heard about this. While we have several Sashimotos on staff here at the estate, I don't think anyone in the family here has experienced this bond."

"This is all very unusual. I know the estate holds records of our family and their descendants going back several generations, but I really haven't got the first clue on how to go about tracking down the descendants of the Sashimoto family. That is, of course, assuming you want to look into this. It seems interesting but personally, I don't really see the need for us to seek these people out - assuming they exist. Clearly this bond hasn't been very... ah, necessary in recent times. Otherwise we'd know about it, don't you think?"

Akito nodded. She both wanted and did not want to discover more about this story. Why now? It seems so farfetched, but there were so many details in the story that to consider it a coincidence would be absurd. Someone, somewhere, knew about the Zodiac curse. If they knew about that, maybe they are right about the rest of it?

Shigure loosened his tie and took off his suit jacket. The temperatures were starting to climb and the sun was out in full force. The office they were in had a large bay window facing the garden at the center of the complex. While much of the Sohma estate had gone unchanged for centuries, the family and its business had grown. Many more buildings were added on to other facilities, some in modern fashion and others traditional. He watched a gray and black bird singing outside the window. He suddenly had an urge to smash the bird into the window when there was a knock at the door.

Akito got up from the nasty colored couch she takes every chance to complain about (though she will never admit it's her favorite because of how comfortable it is) and made to open the door. Kureno was standing on the other side of it.

"Hello Akito. Shigure."

Akito smiled at Kureno and welcomed him into the room. Shigure simply nodded and plastered the fakest smile he could on his face. Akito glanced at him with a look that clearly said _"Don't start"_ before addressing their visitor.

"Hello Kureno. What brings you into town? I hope all is going well."

With a completely genuine smile, Kureno responded,

"I've been coming into town for work over the last week or so, and have been meaning to come by and say hello. Unfortunately, the project I'm working on will be done in a few days and I will be heading back home. I just thought I'd stop by and see how everyone was doing. Things are going very well, thank you!"

"Well it's good to see you're doing well, then."

Although Kureno did not appear to be able to sense the hostility to Akito's immediate left, she most certainly did and elected to cut the reunion short.

"I'm sorry to say we have a very full schedule today, you know how it is. Next time you're going to be in town, let me know and we can arrange to go out for lunch? I would very much like to get to know Arisa a little better."

"Yes, yes of course. Your maid told me you were going to be very busy today, so I understand. I just didn't want to come into town without saying hello!"

"Our feelings wouldn't be hurt", Shigure muttered from the side.

A quick elbow jab to his ribs from Akito stopped him from continuing. Kureno smiled, waved, and said something about visiting Hatori while he was here.

Before Shigure could go off about Kureno showing up uninvited, Akito cut him short.

"So, back to this letter. Where do you want to start?"

"Well, it sounds silly but... let's find the oldest member of the Sashimoto family and from there? I mean.. it can't hurt can it? We can just ask them if they remembering hearing any old stories about our two families."

Shigured sighed and then nodded.

"Bring Chie in for me please."


End file.
